Fishing tackle float



March 18, 1941. RAMsElER FISHING 'rAcKLE FLOAT Filed Nov. '7, 1938 W E S M u am Patented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to fishing-tackle floats of what may be termed the kite type since they are constructed to be acted upon by water currents in much the same manner as a kite is acted upon by air currents. In floats of this type, an eiective utilization of the kite principle is sought to enable a. fisherman to maneuver the float, by tensioning, slackening and reeling the hand line, up and down stream, toward and from and at varying distances along, an imaginary line running obliquely across the stream from the fisherman and also to cause the iloat to assume and maintain its oblique position relatively to the fisherman when the latter travels along the stream.V In iishing with a rod and reel for example, an eiective oat of this character renders it possible to still fish or troll obliquely across the stream from any point or line of movement in the stream or along its banks.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a float which makes an effective utilization of the kite principle possible.

Other objects of the invention are: to provide a oat which is simply, sturdily and inexpensively constructed in a compact form of light weight, which can be easily and quickly attached to and detached from the hand line, and which is highly sensitive, that is to say, quickly responsive to the maneuvering manipulations of the hand line; and to provide one that can be easily, quickly and completely reversed so as to condition it .for operation in a different area or in the opposite direction of movement. I

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front end elevation of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, the sling being shown in full lines in one position, and in dotted lines in the reverse position;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof with a iishing line trailing from the device;

Figure 3 is a side elevation thereof; and I Figure 4 is a view showing relative positions assumed by the device in water.

As illustrated, the oat comprises a rectangular platelike planar member or keel l preferably composed of a light buoyant material such as wood. The bottom of the keel is weighted in-any suitable manner, as by the metal strip 2, to cause it to assume a vertical position in the water and to submerge it to a suitable extent. The weight and buoyancy of the keel, as a whole, should be such as to cause it to project from the water to the slightest extent necessary to make it easily observed. For example, I have obtained good results using a wooden keel 51/2 long, 2%" high and thick, and have found it easy kto follow when projecting approximately above the water.

The keel is connected along its periphery to a hand line 3 by a polyhedral sling composed of front,l upper and lower lines 4 and 5 and a rear line 6. The front, upper and lower lines 4 and 5 extend from the common hand-line connecting point of the keel respectively to the front, upper and lower, corners of the keel, While the rear line 6 extends from the common point to the approximate centers of the rear end of the keel.V The lines of the sling preferably are connected at the common point to a metal eyey 1 through which the sling may be quickly connected to or disconnected from a, snap fastener 8 on the hand line. The keel ends of the lines of the sling carry snap fasteners 9 by which they may be quickly attached to or detached from suitable metal eye-forming vmembers I0 permanently mounted on the keel.

The sling is forwardly slanted by making its rear line longer than either of its front lines. It is also upwardly slanted to a slight degree by making its lower line slightly longer thanits upper line. The upper and rear lines cooperate to determine the oblique angle to which the keel will extend when in the stream, while both of these lines cooperate with the lower line to maintain the vertical position of the keel. The rear line Sand either or bothy of the front lines of the sling are made long enough toform a loop through which the keel may be inverted without changing any of the sling connections to transfer the sling from its operative position over one face of the keel to a corresponding position over the opposite face thereof. For example, therear line 6 and the front upper line 4 cooperate to form a loop (see Figure 2)' through vwhich the keel may be inverted by'rotating it 180 around an axis passing through the connections of these lines to the keel. With an arrangement of this character, it is possible to reverse the keel, that is to say reverse vthe relation of the sling to the keel, easily and quickly without detaching orV changing any of. the connectio'ns 'between thehandline and keel.`

The top rear corner of the keel isprovided With a metal'eye-forming member Il to which a trolling line l2 may be connected. The drag of this line will normally tend to cause the rear end of the keel to extend more deeply into the water than the front end thereof but, if desired, this tendency may be counteracted by securing a counterwelght I3 to the bottom of the keel, adjacent its front end.

While not essential, it is desirable, because of improved operation, to provide a rudder I4 at the rear end of the keel. The rudder shown is xedly mounted on a vertical shaft l5 having, at its upper end, a crank I6 by which it may be manually rotated to turn the rudder from a central position in the major plane of the keel through a range of positions on either side thereof. The rudder preferably is held in its central and at least two oiset positions by causing the freeend .ofthe crank IGto extend intorecesses I'lrappropriately formed in the trolling eye member Il.

While a float of this character may be usedY to troll or to still sh from opposite banksof the.

stream or from the stream itself, an'explanation of its operation will be facilitated by assumingca; particular condition of use. It is assumed, therefore, that a iisherman is standing `at F (see Figure 4) on a bank of a stream owing from the fisher. mans left to his right. The float is attached to thehand'line andplaced in the'water with 'its rear or rudderend-down streamH and with the sling extending over the face of the floatnearest thev sherman. If desired, the rudder may be turned to point downstream in a direction away from the sherman; As the hand line is reeled out; the float will iloat'downstream, as indicated in dotted lines in liigure'l.Y When the han-d line is tensioned, the iloat will assume an oblique. position in the water in which the'sling faces the fisherman. The reaction-ofthe water owing against the slingface will cause the float to travel obliquely upstream'away from'the bank until it reaches an imaginary line running` obliquely downstream from the Vfisherman. The float may be permitted to remain in the position-which it assumes along this linek or, by slackening and tensioning the line, maneuvered downstream and upstream away -from and toward the line. It may becaused-to move along the line by reeling or unreeling the hand line. Should the fisherman move upstream along the bank, the float "will likewise move, maintaining its oblique position rela-v tively to the'lsherman. Theshermanthusmay not only still fish or troll Within a limited area of the` stream from yone point on the bank'of'the stream, but also troll upstream, while moving along the bank.

The sherman'may also troll downstream without-disturbing therelative position of theV float provided he moves ata ratev less than'that of the stream. If the shernianv moves atarate greater than thatl of the stream, the oat will necessarily assume a position obliquely upstream relatively to the fisherman; This change in the relative position of theoat requires that the float be completely reversed` relatively to. the sling. The complete reversal of this Iloat can be readily accomplished simply by reeling in the float and inverting the. keel through a loop in the sling. When inverted, it can be returnedl to the Water and operated as before while trolling downstream.

When fishing from a boat in the stream, it will be readily appreciated that the oat, when conditioned for trolling upstream along one bank,

is also conditioned for trolling downstream alongthe opposite bank. However, when it is desired to reverse :the direction of trolling along the same bank, or when it is desired to transfer the float from one side of the boat to the other, either while stationary or while moving in the same direction, it will be necessary to reverse the keel. The ease with which the float may be reversed is advantageous. Among its other advantages are: it.l can be carried about, placed in use and operated'with-vthel-minimum ofv "trouble: itis small, yet easily observed in operation; it is efficient since the major portion of its sling face is subject -to .action of the water, a condition which promotes maneuverability.

"While Lthe.; invention has been explained in .connection with its use as a fishing float, it will be understoodV that it may be readily applied to otherfuses such, for example, a keel for a toy boat or ,likebody to enable the boat to be maneuvered in. a bodyof` waterl by `ay person standing onthe;l shore. Whenapplied to a, longitudinal buoyant body, such as a-boat, the keel will exl tend'inthe vmaj or vertical plane of the body while the1 sling `will be attached to the periphery ofthe body, boat and keel, as a whole.` The sling should also be made'long enough'to permit its reversal relatively to the body to be accomplished without detaching any of the-sling lines.`

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A kite ltype oat of the class described comprising: a longitudinal buoyant body presenting, in its longitudinal vertical plane, aplanar keel; and apolyhedral sling/having'at least three lines connected to the periphery of said body at spaced points substantially within said plane, at least two lines `of the slingbeing long enough to form a loop through which the body may be inverted to reverse the relative positions of the sling and body without necessarily-detaching any` of the sling llines from the body.

2. A kite type oat of the classdescribedfcomprising: a buoyant planar keel; and a vpolyhedral sling havinggat least three lines connected to the periphery of said keel, at least two lines of the slingbeing V'long enough toformA a loop through whichthekeelmaybe invertedtoreverse the relative-positions of thekeel and sling vwithout necessarilydetaching the lines of the'sling.-

3i A kite typeoat 'of the class described comprising: a buoyantplanar keel; means weighting saidkeel to cause it to'assume'aw vertical and substantially but not completely-submerged position inwater; a polyhedral slinghaving atleast three lines connected to the periphery ofv said keel, atleast twoiof said lines .being longenough to forma loopjthrough which the keel may be inverted to reverse the'relative positionsfofv the sling andthekeel; means on the keel to which a trailing fishing line mayjbe; attached; and a rudder. mounted onthe-rear end'of the keel for lateral angularfmovement from a' position substantially Within theplane' of .the keel to positions on either side thereof'.

PAUL. RAMSEIER. 

